What did we do?

We looked for ways to get the penguins busy and active, without disturbing their behavior at feeding time. We decided to put three different kinds of stimuli into the penguin exhibit 30 minutes before feeding. We first observed their normal feeding behavior, without a special stimulus. Then we put pine cones and branches in the exhibit before the second feeding, hung a colorful banner before the third feeding, and waved streamers and bright lights outside the exhibit before the final feeding. We counted the number of positive behaviors (like minding their own business and playing), and negative behaviors (like fighting or pushing) while the curators gave them their food at each feeding. more...